Online employee training platform: how to choose
You have finally decided to improve your employee training with the help of an employee training platform. But how do you get started? There are so many options available! Not only of different software but also ready-made programs! What should you pick? Wait, what do you even want? Let’s take a look at some options.
Table of contents
- What is employee training?
- What is an online employee training platform?
- Types of employee training that requires an online platform?
- Why do I need an employee training platform?
- What should I look for in an LMS?
- Should I give Easy LMS a try?
What is employee training?
Employee training is a program is designed to improve employees' skills (primarily technical), knowledge, efficiency, and performance. It has a clear short-term goal, like getting familiar with a software system or renewing your first aid license.
Sometimes the terms employee training and development are used interchangeably, but they aren't the same. Employee development is ongoing and has no clear end goal, for example.
Learn more about employee training and its difference from employee development.
What is an online employee training platform?
An employee training platform is a type of software that allows you to create and share online training programs with your audience. This type of software is often called a Learning Management System (LMS).
Types of employee training that requires an online platform
An employee training platform is only needed if you offer your training entirely or partly online. Online training depends on multiple factors, like your budget, training topic, goal, and audience. For example, learning how to negotiate is easier in a classroom setting, while learning about real estate regulation can be perfectly done online. Read more about popular types of employee training.
In general, we think that the following training types require an online training platform:
- Orientation training. Orientation training mainly consists of welcoming and introducing your new employees to the company. The training could contain information about vision, core values, and processes.
- Onboarding training. Most of the time, onboarding training follows orientation training. It educates the new hire on specific skills and knowledge needed to do their job. They get information about software, team procedures, guidelines, et cetera.
- Soft skill training. Soft skills are abilities related to working and interacting with other people. In-demand soft skills are communication and problem-solving. An online training platform is ideal for teaching theoretical knowledge about soft skills. Practicing the soft skill itself is more effective in an offline setting.
- Product or service training. You can use online training to educate your employees about the products or services they represent to ensure they make a good impression. An online training platform is flawless for keeping your staff updated about new products, features, and services.
- Compliance training. Compliance training is often mandated by legislation, regulation, or policy. It educates your employees on the laws or rules applicable to their job function or industry. Because it’s so theoretical-based, it is easy to do it online!
- Franchise training. The franchisor needs to train employees to keep processes and products uniform throughout the unit. If you have multiple teams, this is a challenge! An online employee training platform is a great solution. Your training material is easy to distribute and maintain!
Why do I need an employee training platform?
Most people would agree that online training has become increasingly important, especially after COVID-19 restrictions. However, most organizations that offer online training still rely on PowerPoint, spreadsheets, and other files to set up their online training strategy.
An employee training software makes it possible to put all your information in one place
The problem is that these programs don’t offer tracking and reporting options. On a larger scale, it’s not possible to track whether your employees are learning or not. Also, the information is often scattered around and not organized in one place.
An employee training platform makes it possible to put all your information in one place. It also presents training materials in a logical order for the employee or client. It’s possible to create learning paths and keep track of completion and pass rates.
What should I look for in an LMS?
How to choose an LMS vendor
Ok, so we have already established that you should use an employee training platform to organize and keep track of your training content. But how can you choose the best LMS for your organization 🧐 [1]?
E-learning expert Chuck Severance [2] once said that there are so many similar LMSs out there that “you can almost throw a dart at a dartboard and pick an LMS, and it won’t be that bad.”
Picking any system can lead to dissatisfaction in the future
However, picking any system just because it “won’t be that bad” is not a very good idea because it can lead to dissatisfaction in the future. Here are some things to consider when picking an employee training platform.
Top 6 things to consider
Identify your employees’ needs
You need to work with it, and so do your employees. So you need to take both into account. You can investigate your employees' requirements by speaking with them, and conducting surveys and assessments. Compile a list of requirements and use this when you compare multiple LMSs. Read more about identifying your employees' training needs.
Decide on your must-haves
Which features do you need, and don’t you need? You don’t want to pay for something you don’t use, so check the different subscription types and their features. It will enable you to find which vendor offers the features you need for a reasonable price.
What’s my budget?
Different LMSs have different pricing models. To avoid surprises when you get the bill, analyze their pricing model, and see if it fits your needs. Some employee training platforms charge per user, and others don’t. Also, pay attention to the features that come with each plan and if you need them all.
Reputation
Pick an LMS with good reviews. When reading client reviews, you can look for a common thread between them. See what the clients like and dislike about the tool. You will have a better idea of what to expect when you start using this system.
Is customer service available?
It is a utopia where you can use a brand new software system without any help. At a certain point, you will get stuck and want some assistance. So, we advise you to check if customer service is available the quality and speed of their answers, and how you can contact them. If possible, sign up for a demo to get your questions answered. Try to reach out to support to see how they treat their clients. Problems happen, so it’s essential to consider how each vendor deals with them.
Does it offer a free trial?
You can’t buy a product just on the website promises and pictures. You need to experience it. Most vendors offer a free trial, so you can test if the product suits your expectations. Nobody wants to spend hours working in overly complicated software. Also, some tools are more pleasing to the eye than others. They offer different ways of presenting the learning content for the admin and the learners. A free trial allows you to test your use cases.
Should I give Easy LMS a try?
Choosing the right employee training platform for your company can have long-lasting effects on your team
Choosing the right employee training platform for your company can have long-lasting effects on your team. It can incentivize your employees’ learning and development and help them achieve their goals and reach top performance.
Easy LMS is an employee training platform. We are pretty biased and think you should give us a try. Why? Easy LMS has won many awards and acknowledgments 🏆. We have a unique pricing model that sets us apart from the competition🙃.
Most LMSs only include video or text options for courses. Our Course builder allows you to combine text, video, images, audio, documents, and webpages, all in one place. Create a training Academy and publish all your courses there. Easy!
Last but not least, our robust reporting features allow you to have an overview of your employees’ activities and results. See when your users started and ended their training and how long it took them.
Want to see it for yourself? Sign up for a free trial and request a demo.
Useful resources
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is an online employee training platform?An employee training platform is a software that allows you to create and share online training programs with your audience.
- Why do I need one?An employee training platform makes it possible to put all your training materials in one place while presenting the material to your participants logically. It also offers tracking and reporting options.
- Which types of employee training require an online platform?In general, we think that the following employee training types require an online training platform: (1) orientation training, (2) onboarding training, (3) soft skill training, (4) product or service training, (5) compliance training, (6) franchise training.
- How can I choose an LMS vendor?Examine its features, look and feel, client reviews, support, and pricing, and determine if they are a good match for your organization.
Get started with Easy LMS
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